{"id":151,"date":"2025-05-05T14:25:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/?p=151"},"modified":"2025-05-05T14:25:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:25:34","slug":"ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China’s “Smiling” River Porpoise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poetry from China’s imperial dynasties has unveiled the stark reality of habitat loss for the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, according to new research published Monday in Current Biology<\/a>. Scientists analyzed 724 ancient poems mentioning the iconic “smiling” porpoise, documenting a 65% range contraction over the past 1,400 years \u2013 with most of this decline occurring just within the last century.<\/p>\n

The study represents an innovative fusion of cultural heritage and modern conservation science, offering a rare historical perspective on wildlife population changes spanning more than a millennium.<\/p>\n

“We’re connecting 2,000 years of Chinese culture with biodiversity,” said Zhigang Mei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who led the research.<\/p>\n

“Our work fills the gap between the super long-term information we get from fossils and DNA and the recent population surveys. It really shows how powerful it can be to combine art and biodiversity conservation.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mei, who grew up along the Yangtze River, recalls community elders describing the porpoises as spirit-like creatures that could predict weather patterns and fish abundance. This cultural connection motivated the unconventional approach to tracking the subspecies’ historical range.<\/p>\n

Poetry as Scientific Evidence<\/h2>\n

The research team faced significant methodological challenges when using ancient poetry as ecological data. China’s vast literary tradition includes countless poems with varying degrees of realism and artistic license. Researchers had to carefully authenticate each reference by studying poets’ biographies, travel records, and writing styles.<\/p>\n

Most references came from the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), which contributed 477 poems mentioning the porpoise. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) added another 177, while earlier periods provided fewer but still valuable historical records.<\/p>\n

Of particular significance was Emperor Qianlong, one of China’s most prolific poets with over 35,000 compositions. During travels to Zhenjiang city, he described the distinctive porpoises as they “chased moonlight on silvered tides.”<\/p>\n

The Yangtze finless porpoise is particularly well-suited for this type of historical analysis. As the world’s only known freshwater porpoise, it’s relatively large compared to other river fauna and regularly surfaces to breathe, making it a noticeable and memorable sight for travelers along Asia’s longest waterway.<\/p>\n

“Compared to fish, Yangtze finless porpoises are pretty big, and they’re active on the surface of the water, especially before thunderstorms when they’re really chasing after fish and jumping around,” explained Mei. “This amazing sight was hard for poets to ignore.”<\/p>\n

Range Contraction Accelerating<\/h2>\n

By mapping the geographic locations mentioned in the poems, researchers documented the porpoise’s historical distribution across the Yangtze River system. The findings revealed that while the species has lost approximately one-third of its range along the main river channel since the Tang Dynasty (618-907), its presence in tributaries and connected lakes has diminished by a staggering 91%.<\/p>\n

The sharpest decline occurred between the late Qing Dynasty and modern times, coinciding with increased industrialization and water management projects. The data suggests the porpoise once inhabited 169 grid areas during the Tang Dynasty but is now found in just 59 \u2013 representing a 65% reduction in its historical range.<\/p>\n

This pattern aligns with what scientists have observed in other megafauna species. The study notes that among 204 species of non-volant terrestrial mammals, 40 species have seen their ranges shrink by over 50% within a century. In the Yangtze specifically, two endemic species \u2013 the baiji dolphin and Chinese paddlefish \u2013 have already been declared functionally extinct in recent decades.<\/p>\n

Dams and Development<\/h2>\n

The research points to hydraulic engineering as a primary driver of the porpoise’s decline. Dam construction, particularly since the 1950s, has fragmented the Yangtze ecosystem and blocked movement between the main river channel and its connected waterways.<\/p>\n

The Gezhouba Dam, completed in 1988 as the first major dam on the Yangtze’s main channel, appears to mark a critical turning point. Historical records show porpoises were present upstream of the dam before 1988, but they subsequently disappeared from these areas.<\/p>\n

Similar patterns of local extinction in tributaries and lakes correlate with the dramatic increase in dam construction during China’s industrial expansion, effectively isolating porpoise populations and preventing their natural movements throughout the river system.<\/p>\n

Cultural Connection to Conservation<\/h2>\n

For the researchers, the study represents more than just scientific documentation \u2013 it highlights the powerful intersection of cultural heritage and environmental protection.<\/p>\n

“Protecting nature isn’t just the responsibility of modern science; it’s also deeply connected to our culture and history,” said Mei. “Art, like poetry, can really spark an emotional connection, making people realize the harmony and respect we should have between people and nature.”<\/p>\n

The team plans to continue mining their collected poems for additional ecological insights, including historical porpoise population sizes, behavior patterns, and river ecosystem conditions. They hope their unconventional methodology might inspire similar approaches using other art forms such as novels and paintings.<\/p>\n

“This work made me rethink the scientific value of historical literature and showed us the power of thinking across disciplines,” Mei reflected. “Chinese poetry, this ancient art form, can be a serious scientific tool. Using the past to understand the present, ‘decoding’ the stories behind the art: it’s not just research, it’s like having a conversation with the poets of the past.”<\/p>\n

The study stands as a reminder that conservation efforts must consider not just modern scientific data but also the rich historical relationships between humans and wildlife \u2013 relationships often preserved in unexpected places like the elegant verses of ancient travelers witnessing a porpoise’s smile upon the waters of the mighty Yangtze.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Poetry from China’s imperial dynasties has unveiled the stark reality of habitat loss for the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, according to new research published Monday in Current Biology. Scientists analyzed 724 ancient poems mentioning the iconic “smiling” porpoise, documenting a 65% range contraction over the past 1,400 years \u2013 with most of this decline … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1299,"featured_media":152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-nonhumans","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"\nAncient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China's "Smiling" River Porpoise - SciChi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China's "Smiling" River Porpoise\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Poetry from China’s imperial dynasties has unveiled the stark reality of habitat loss for the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, according to new research published Monday in Current Biology. Scientists analyzed 724 ancient poems mentioning the iconic “smiling” porpoise, documenting a 65% range contraction over the past 1,400 years \u2013 with most of this decline ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SciChi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-05T21:25:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/05\/finless-porpoise.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"459\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"SciChi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"SciChi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082\"},\"headline\":\"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China’s “Smiling” River Porpoise\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-05T21:25:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":902,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/finless-porpoise.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Life & Nonhumans\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China's \\\"Smiling\\\" River Porpoise - SciChi\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/finless-porpoise.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-05T21:25:34+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/finless-porpoise.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/finless-porpoise.jpg\",\"width\":700,\"height\":459,\"caption\":\"A \\\"smiling\\\" Yangtze finless porpoise at the Baiji Dolphinarium.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/05\\\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China’s “Smiling” River Porpoise\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/\",\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"description\":\"Tracking Chinese Research\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg\",\"width\":796,\"height\":296,\"caption\":\"SciChi\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082\",\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"SciChi\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/author\\\/chinaresearch\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China's \"Smiling\" River Porpoise - SciChi","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China's \"Smiling\" River Porpoise","og_description":"Poetry from China’s imperial dynasties has unveiled the stark reality of habitat loss for the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, according to new research published Monday in Current Biology. Scientists analyzed 724 ancient poems mentioning the iconic “smiling” porpoise, documenting a 65% range contraction over the past 1,400 years \u2013 with most of this decline ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/","og_site_name":"SciChi","article_published_time":"2025-05-05T21:25:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":700,"height":459,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/05\/finless-porpoise.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"SciChi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"SciChi","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/"},"author":{"name":"SciChi","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/person\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082"},"headline":"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China’s “Smiling” River Porpoise","datePublished":"2025-05-05T21:25:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/"},"wordCount":902,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/05\/finless-porpoise.jpg","articleSection":["Life & Nonhumans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/","name":"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China's \"Smiling\" River Porpoise - SciChi","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/05\/finless-porpoise.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-05T21:25:34+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/05\/finless-porpoise.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/05\/finless-porpoise.jpg","width":700,"height":459,"caption":"A \"smiling\" Yangtze finless porpoise at the Baiji Dolphinarium."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/05\/ancient-poems-reveal-dramatic-decline-of-chinas-smiling-river-porpoise\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ancient Poems Reveal Dramatic Decline of China’s “Smiling” River Porpoise"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/","name":"SciChi","description":"Tracking Chinese Research","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#organization","name":"SciChi","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg","width":796,"height":296,"caption":"SciChi"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/person\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082","name":"SciChi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"SciChi"},"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/author\/chinaresearch\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/05\/finless-porpoise.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":243,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/12\/china-faces-alzheimer-surge-while-racing-to-improve-care\/","url_meta":{"origin":151,"position":0},"title":"China Faces Alzheimer Surge While Racing to Improve Care","author":"SciChi","date":"August 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"China is confronting an unprecedented Alzheimer's disease challenge, with nearly 17 million people now living with Alzheimer's and related dementias, almost one quarter of the global total. The newly released 2025 China Alzheimer Report, published in General Psychiatry, reveals sharp increases in prevalence and mortality since 1990 and outlines how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brain & Behavior"","block_context":{"text":"Brain & Behavior","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/brain-behavior\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hands of elderly chinese woman","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/hands-1408480_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/hands-1408480_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/hands-1408480_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/hands-1408480_1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":219,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/07\/25\/ancient-desert-berry-shows-rare-power-to-reverse-diabetes-in-mice\/","url_meta":{"origin":151,"position":1},"title":"Ancient Desert Berry Shows Rare Power to Reverse Diabetes in Mice","author":"SciChi","date":"July 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A crimson berry long prized by nomads in western China is offering new hope in the fight against type 2 diabetes. Scientists have shown that a natural extract from the fruit of Nitraria roborowskii Kom\u2014known locally as the \u201cdesert cherry\u201d\u2014can dramatically reduce blood sugar, restore insulin sensitivity, and protect organs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nitraria roborowskii Kom","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/nitraria-37e12c3a-fcd6-4e31-ac60-1df56ac2965-resize-750.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/nitraria-37e12c3a-fcd6-4e31-ac60-1df56ac2965-resize-750.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/nitraria-37e12c3a-fcd6-4e31-ac60-1df56ac2965-resize-750.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/nitraria-37e12c3a-fcd6-4e31-ac60-1df56ac2965-resize-750.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":364,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2026\/02\/13\/singapores-first-shipwreck-carried-a-record-haul-of-chinas-rarest-porcelain\/","url_meta":{"origin":151,"position":2},"title":"Singapore’s First Shipwreck Carried a Record Haul of China’s Rarest Porcelain","author":"SciChi","date":"February 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The ship itself is gone. Teredo worms saw to that \u2014 centuries of boring through waterlogged timber until every plank, every rib, every trace of the hull dissolved into the seabed at the eastern mouth of the Singapore Strait. What the worms couldn't eat was the cargo. And what a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Society"","block_context":{"text":"Society","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/society\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"YUAN DYNASTY BLUE-AND-WHITE PORCELAIN BOWL FRAGMENT PAINTED WITH A DRAGON INSIDE, 14TH CENTURY.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/porcelain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/porcelain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/porcelain.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/porcelain.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":222,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/07\/29\/a-new-vision-of-china-from-space-39-years-in-the-making\/","url_meta":{"origin":151,"position":3},"title":"A New Vision of China from Space, 39 Years in the Making","author":"SciChi","date":"July 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Chinese researchers have unveiled a powerful new tool for Earth observation: a 30-meter resolution Landsat composite data cube covering every year from 1985 to 2023. The seamless dataset, described in the Journal of Remote Sensing, offers the first annual \u201cLeaf-On\u201d season satellite imagery for all of China. By solving long-standing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fig. 3. The system comprises 91 tiles, each measuring 4\u00b0 \u00d7 4\u00b0. The image shown represents the 2023 Leaf-On Landsat composite, displayed in false-color (RGB: SWIR1, NIR, and Green).","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/remotesensing.0698.fig_.003.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/remotesensing.0698.fig_.003.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/remotesensing.0698.fig_.003.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":201,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/06\/24\/dangerous-viruses-related-to-deadly-nipah-found-in-chinese-bats\/","url_meta":{"origin":151,"position":4},"title":"Dangerous Viruses Related to Deadly Nipah Found in Chinese Bats","author":"SciChi","date":"June 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Scientists have discovered two viruses closely related to the lethal Nipah and Hendra viruses lurking in bat kidneys near villages in China's Yunnan province. The findings raise urgent concerns about potential spillover to humans through contaminated fruit, as these bats inhabit orchards where they could spread the pathogens through urine.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bats in orchard","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Bats-in-orchard-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Bats-in-orchard-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Bats-in-orchard-.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Bats-in-orchard-.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":327,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/12\/29\/this-herbal-formula-did-what-most-kidney-drugs-dont-reverse-damage\/","url_meta":{"origin":151,"position":5},"title":"This Herbal Formula Did What Most Kidney Drugs Don’t: Reverse Damage","author":"SciChi","date":"December 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Most treatments for diabetic kidney disease aim to slow decline. Improvement is rare. Patients take their pills, track their numbers, and watch their kidney function gradually worsen despite therapy. The goal is damage control, not restoration. A randomized clinical trial in China suggests that calculation may need updating. Researchers testing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"chinese medicine herbs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/12\/pexels-asphotography-105028.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/12\/pexels-asphotography-105028.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/12\/pexels-asphotography-105028.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/12\/pexels-asphotography-105028.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":153,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151\/revisions\/153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}